The head of Boeing's commercial aircraft branch apologized for the latest setbacks suffered by the American company, while the 737 MAX 9 aircraft began returning to the skies.
“We are truly sorry for the significant disruption and frustration caused to our customers,” Stan Deal said in a letter to employees that Boeing sent to the press.
This came hours after Alaska Airlines operated its first commercial flight with a 737 MAX 9 since its flights were suspended by a decision from the US regulatory authority following the accident that occurred on January 5.
This plane made an emergency landing during a company flight after a panel separated from its body, exposing passengers to the air.
United Airlines also returned its 737 Max 9 aircraft to service this weekend, starting with a flight on Saturday morning from Newark Airport (near New York) to Las Vegas (Nevada), with 181 people on board.
Scott Kirby, General Manager of United, said on Tuesday that his company owns the largest fleet of this type of aircraft (79 aircraft).
He added that the problems that Boeing faced with the 737 MAX aircraft would force his company to “reschedule the fleet” for the coming years.
For his part, Stan Dale confirmed in his message that since the suspension of flights decided by the US Federal Aviation Administration, “our goal has been to help our customers resume their activity.”
“Frankly, we disappointed them, we let them down,” he added before apologizing.
About 10,000 Boeing employees stopped work at the 737 MAX production line near Seattle on Thursday “to refocus on safety and discuss ways to improve our practices,” Dell said.
The recent accident involving an Alaska Airlines flight, on the heels of other production problems in recent months, has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration and the plane manufacturer itself to scrutinize the quality control process, and an independent person has been appointed to lead the process.
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